SEATTLE — After just 16 games, the 2020 campaign for Seattle U baseball came to an abrupt end due to the global pandemic of COVID-19.
At the time the season was canceled, Seattle U held a 7-9 record and were beginning to find their stride with conference games on the horizon. In the program's 11th year under head coach Donny Harrel, the Redhawks hit .257 with a .346 on-base percentage, while slugging .349. As a result, the team finished fourth in the conference in batting average and was fifth in OBP and slugging, respectively.
On the mound, the Redhawk pitching staff meanwhile posted an earned run average of 5.08 while collecting 117 strikeouts in 133.0 innings of work.
Of its abbreviated schedule, the Redhawks were home for eight of 16 games, going 4-4 at Bannerwood Park, while finishing 2-4 on the road and 1-1 in neutral site contests. Seattle U had 36 games left its regular season slate, including 27 Western Athletic Conference dates as well as notable non-conference tilts against Oregon, Oregon State, Washington and Portland. The 2020 WAC Championship was scheduled for May 20-24 at Hohokam Stadium in Mesa, Arizona.
BILLY GOAT
Junior pitcher Jarrod Billig finished the shortened season with a 3-2 record. He also had a 4.07 ERA in 24.1 innings and accompanied that with 22 strikeouts and a team-best .179 opponent batting average. Nationally, the left-hander was ranked 23rd in wins, fifth nationally in games started (5) and was 128th in Division I in hits per nine innings (5.55).
'DAMA
Sophomore Julian Kodama finished the shortened campaign atop most of the Seattle U offensive categories, as he had a .379 average, .422 OBP, boosted a 12-game hit streak while also safely reaching base in 15-straight. He tallied 22 hits, scored 10 runs and seven doubles. Nationally, the Edmonds, Wash., native was 34th in doubles among Division I leaders and was ranked 43rd in the toughest to strikeout category.
WAC HONORS
In spite of no Redhawks earning WAC preseason recognization, the team was represented in two of the five weekly awards presented by the conference. On March 2, Billig garnered WAC Pitcher of the Week honors after not allowing a hit in over six innings, while striking out six in a 4-2 win over Pacific. Then on March 16, Kodama was recognized as WAC Hitter of the Week after a 3-for-4 day accounting for four of 10 runs in a decisive victory over St. Martin's, in the Redhawks' final game of the year.
WAC LEADERBOARD
As a team, Seattle U were among the WAC Top 3 in three categories in the shortened 2020 season. Through 16 contests, the Redhawks averaged 1.88 doubles per game placing them second-overall, while the club's .257 batting average and 5.3 runs per game were third-most in each respective category.
Billig and Kodama each topped various WAC listings. Billig led the conference in games started and victories, while the southpaw was second among league leaders in hits per nine, eighth in total strikeouts and 10th in innings pitched. Kodama meanwhile was atop the doubles and doubles per game (0.44) charts. He was also statistically considered the WAC's toughest to strikeout, had the league's third-best batting average and was 10th in OBP.
Also listed from the pitching staff sophomore Ethan Christianson, whose four starts placed him second on the WAC leaderboard. Relievers Alex Jemal and Brandon Jenkins were tied for sixth-overall with eight appearances each. Jemal also had the conference's eighth-best ERA (2.81). Christianson and Jemal were also among the WAC's Top 10 in Strikeouts per Nine as Christianson was ranked fifth (10.47) while Jemal was eighth (9.56).
Junior shortstop Connor O'Brien meanwhile was second among WAC hitters with two triples.
NATIONAL AWARDS
Seattle U had two members of its 2020 lineup contending for national awards as senior Austin Lively was among the top 36 hitters named to the Bobby Bragan Collegiate Slugger Watch List, while junior backstop Justin Mazzone was named to the Buster Posey Catcher of the Year Watch List.
Lively had a slow to start to the season, missing the first two weeks due to injury. Once he returned however, the Redhawk second baseman heated up quickly as he hit .296, scoring six runs while driving five in just nine games.
Mazzone started all 16 games for the Redhawks, finishing the the abbreviated campaign with a .296 average—third among team leaders. He had the team's second-most RBI on the team (9), multiple-hit games (4) and runs scored (8).
ODDS & ENDS
• O'Brien was second among team leaders hitting .326, slugging .565 with seven extra base knocks including four doubles in 11 games.
• Outfielder Chase Wells finished the year reaching base in 15-consecutive games and led the team with three multiple RBI games. As result, the senior drove in a team-high 10 runs and being listed 16th on WAC leaderboard.
• Freshman infielder Trevor Antonson led the Redhawks with 11 walks for a share of sixth-overall on the WAC charts.
• O'Brien, Mazzone, Lively and Antonson each finished the season with a home run apiece.
• Christianson went 1-3 on the year with a 4.96 ERA, while striking out 19 in 16.1 innings.
• Collectively, the Redhawk offense hit into six double plays during the 16-game slate, the fewest of any WAC member.